Odishatv Bureau
New Delhi: Former Australian captain Allan Border believes that Ricky Ponting`s decision to step down from captaincy will have a positive effect on his performance and one might find him perform just like Sachin Tendulkar has done for India in the past couple of seasons.

"I completely support Ricky`s decision to step down from captaincy. There was tremendous pressure on him for the last 12 months with speculations about his future as Australian captain. So, this decision will help him to focus on his game," feels Border.

The 55-year old former captain feels that Ponting might well be seen in a new avatar as he will now play purely as a batsman.

"I am sure there will be positive effect on Ricky. Now that the pressure is off his back, he can concentrate on playing his best cricket. He can definitely take inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar. It will be a huge motivation for Ricky to do something like Tendulkar has done for India over the past few years," Border adds.

Ask him to compare between Ponting and newly-appointed Michael Clarke`s approach to captaincy, he explains, "Clarke`s a bit of a gambler. He takes some instinctive decisions.

There`s subtle difference to his approach compared to Ricky`s.

However, Michael brings a lot to the table. I am sure he would do a good job as Australian captain."

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